Sunset Park resident Daniel Rodriguez, 40, may be an ex-cop, but this tough cookie has a sweet side. Comment

Is there a cuter, quirkier, more endearing restaurant than Pacifico in Boerum Hill? Just off Smith Street, set way back from the Pacific Street curb, the eatery lures diners with its gaily-colored lights and askew sign, like a sea nymph beckoning ships. Comment

Continuing its 50th anniversary season, the Brooklyn Philharmonic is also commemorating the 150th anniversary of the publication of Walt Whitman’s seminal "Leaves of Grass." Comment

Just in time for spring re-decorating, a Michael C. Fina boutique has opened in Bay Ridge. The new store, which is the offspring of the 70-year-old retailer on Fifth Avenue and 45th Street in Manhattan, offers an array of seasonal home decor accents - from an exquisite flower-bedecked picture frame to a silver-plated watering can holding a clove-scented candle. Comment

When decorating your home for the spring, don’t forget your outdoor room - your garden. Comment

Borough President Marty Markowitz on Tuesday announced the second annual Dine In Brooklyn celebration, which will run from April 11 through April 20, 2005. Participating restaurants will offer a prix fixe lunch or dinner menu, or both, for $19.55. Comment

Although he’s only made six feature films since 1991, France’s Arnaud Desplechin has become one of the world’s most highly acclaimed film directors. Comment

Peter Brook, the British theatrical producer and director has never been shy about discussing his life and work. Brook is known for innovative stagings with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England and the Paris-based International Center of Theater Research, as well as films such as "Lord of the Flies" (1962) and "King Lear" (1971). His theoretical volume "The Empty Space" (1968) has become a classic on drama. Comment

Plans to pay for Brooklyn Bridge Park primarily using revenue derived from luxury housing didn’t get the nod from the community, elected officials or advisory committees before they were announced, sources said this week. Comment

Atlantic Yards: Opponents of Bruce Ratner’s basketball arena and high-rise plan were left singing “Heartbreak Hotel” this week as a competing developer sold his interest in the Prospect Heights site to the Atlantic Yards developer. Comment

Charging that Brooklyn Bridge Park planners have been secretive in their decision-making and unresponsive to neighborhood concerns over the new plan’s reliance on housing for necessary revenue generation, a group of neighborhood activists will meet with elected officials later this month to air their concerns. Comment

A German cargo line that offered to bring the city $1.6 billion in trade — and with it 400 Brooklyn waterfront jobs — was shunned by economic development officials who refused to commit the Red Hook Container Port to shipping operations through 2009. Comment